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This chapter is dedicated to the people of Japan, who are dealing with the after-effects of an earthquake, tsunami, and now a nuclear power explosion. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all.
Chapter 3: Dismay & Elevator Foreplay
You find all of your ugly meanings
in the things I find beautiful
"Come for dinner tomorrow," Kagome begged her friend over the phone, "I want you to meet someone."
It was late Saturday night, precisely a week since Rin had last seen Sesshomaru. He had not returned her phone calls and she was beginning to lose hope in her plan. How was she supposed to keep up her end of their agreement if he kept avoiding her?
"Is it a guy?" Rin faked excitement for her friend's sake as she continued to channel-surf while sitting on the couch. There was never anything good on Saturday nights, meaning she had nothing to draw her away from her depressing Sesshomaru situation.
"A guy? Why do you automatically think it's a guy?"
Rin could tell Kagome was trying to be nonchalant about it, but she failed miserably.
"Aw, that's great Kagome! What's his name? Is he cute?" Rin grinned, wriggling in comfortably on the couch and preparing herself for the onslaught of information. Her friend was a naturally chatty person, but bring a boy into the picture and Kagome could seriously talk your ear off.
"He's really cute!" She gushed, "His name is Inuyasha and he's our age and he's a bit short-tempered, but right away I knew there was something about him that I really liked and now that we've been on a few dates – I'm so sorry I never mentioned him earlier, Rin, but I didn't know how things would turn out at first – I've seen his sweet, protective side now and I think I'm in love!"
"Wow," Rin laughed lightly, "He's that great, huh? Well, I'm really happy for you."
"Thanks, Rin. So will you come? Dinner is at six tomorrow night. Oh! You should bring your artist!"
Rin could practically see her friend bouncing around her apartment in excitement. Ever since Kagome found out about Rin's arrangement with Sesshomaru, she had been determined to play match-maker for the pair. 'Just think about how your passionate hatred for him could translate into passionate love. So intense, like a romance novel!' She had gushed to Rin.
"My artist?" She asked, surprised with the idea. "I have a feeling he'd be a bit of a party-pooper."
Kagome replied, "Of course he's a party-pooper. It's your job to make him lose the attitude, right?"
"That's true," Rin laughed, "Okay. I'll be there and I'll find a way to convince Sesshomaru too." She bit her lip, knowing that would be a difficult promise to keep.
They said their goodbyes and Rin watched a bit more mindless TV before readying herself for bed. As she crawled under the covers, she sleepily went over a mental list of what needed to be done in the morning: 1) track down Sesshomaru Takeda, 2) manage to actually speak to him, and 3) get the silent, unsociable man to agree to dinner with her and two complete strangers.
Easy enough, right?
Nuzzling her face into the pillow, Rin sighed. Come morning, she was going to need a lot of coffee and good luck.
- A -
At precisely 10 o'clock on a sunny and clear Sunday morning, Rin found herself standing in the lobby of the largest, most expensive apartment building she had ever seen.
With Sesshomaru still not answering her calls, she had decided to take a firmer course of action. Meaning, she would drag him kicking and screaming to dinner if she had to...not that Sesshomaru seemed like the type to kick and scream. She would probably just get a glare and a growl from him.
She was about to press the buzzer labelled 'S. Takeda' when a well-dressed woman with a cell phone pressed to her ear opened the door and brushed past Rin. At least ten shining silver bracelets clinked on each wrist and the overwhelming scent of flowery perfume had Rin almost gagging. Holding her breath to ward off a perfume headache, Rin wasted no time slipping through the open door before it locked shut. She knew Sesshomaru wouldn't have let her in anyway.
Gaping like an idiot, she simply stood in the main entrance for a moment, admiring her surroundings. The floors were shiny granite while expensive chandeliers lit her way and the soothing sound of water could be heard from a beautiful floor-to-ceiling rock wall, where water cascaded down to land in a small pond decorated with shrubbery. A quick flash of muted orange caught her attention. Were there koi in there?
Knowing that such a ritzy place would have heavy security, Rin thought it best to not linger. She would ask Sesshomaru about the fish later.
She reluctantly made her way over to the elevator, jumping in surprise when the door opened to reveal an attendant fully dressed in a white jacket and black tie. With thin lips and slightly bulging eyes, he reminded Rin of a frog.
The short, bald man eyed her with suspicion, "Which floor, girl?"
"Um...I'm here to see Sesshomaru Takeda." Rin squeaked, quickly stepping inside before the doors shut.
"He doesn't like visitors," the man warned, "is he expecting you?"
"Well, not exactly but we have an agreement." Rin said lamely.
"Are you his girlfriend or something?"
She longed to deny it. She wanted to proclaim 'ME and HIM? No way!' But the opportunity was too good. This was her only way in.
"Yes, I am." Rin plastered on a fake sincere smile.
The little man made a 'hmph' noise and reluctantly pressed a button, taking them to the top floor. Figured that Sesshomaru would live in the penthouse.
After the short and very awkward ride, the door slid open with a ding. Rin quickly stepped off the elevator and smiled one last time at the attendant, who scowled back at her with distaste.
She walked down a long and silent hallway where the walls were lined with what she assumed to be Sesshomaru's paintings. Rin recognized a few of his well-known pieces and could feel herself practically drooling. The whole place screamed 'money', making her feel utterly ordinary and out of place in her weekend jeans and scuffed sneakers.
She eventually came to the end of the hall where she was met with a large set of dark wooden doors. Rin nervously licked her lips and ran fingers through her hair. Why did her stomach suddenly feel so funny?
"Okay, no big deal. Just knock." She gave her arms a quick shake and shifted from foot to foot, warming up like an athlete preparing for competition. Finally, Rin raised a hand and gave the wood in front of her three steady knocks. Then, she waited...and waited.
She knocked again.
Tapped her foot.
Checked her watch.
"Sesshomaru, I know you're in there!" She really hoped he was in there.
When her call went unanswered, Rin sighed, leaning against the doors in a moment of dejected thought.
"Ack!"
Evidently, Sesshomaru didn't believe in locking his doors. The weight of her shoulder had pushed the door open and Rin went tumbling to the floor. Luckily, plush carpet broke her fall.
Oh, wow... Rin got to her feet and studied the room around her in awe. She had expected Sesshomaru to be the type who lived in a sparse, colorless home that matched his personality. Instead, she saw deep olive green walls, a beautiful fireplace and cushy black leather furniture that gave her the urge to snuggle in and take a nap.
Curious, she slowly wandered through the spacious apartment. A low, thumping noise caught her attention as Rin made her way towards a closed door that was hidden off in a corner.
Bass, she recognized the sound now, so Sesshomaru is home...and he likes his music loud.
She didn't bother knocking, knowing he would never hear her. So instead, Rin twisted the knob and timidly stepped into the room.
Sure enough, Sesshomaru stood in the centre of the room facing a partially painted canvas, his back towards Rin. She was mesmerized for a few minutes, simply staring at the way he worked. On second thought, it was the way he looked.
Long, loose hair gently swayed with each movement he made. Through his snug grey t-shirt, she could see the muscles of his arms flex and relax with each steady stroke of his brush. It was pure magic. He was sex with a paintbrush, and she couldn't think straight.
Suddenly, he reached for the radio and twisted the volume knob sharply, bringing the room to a deathly quiet.
"Rin."
He had yet to turn and look at her.
"Mmhmm?" She didn't trust her voice just yet.
"How did you get in here?" He resumed painting, as if her appearance was of no importance to him.
"How did you know?" She finally managed to choke out.
"It is my home. I always make a point of knowing who is in my home. How did you get in?" He asked again, casually, but Rin could detect a darker seriousness in his tone.
"The toad man," She replied without thinking, "Oh! I mean, um..."
"I know whom you speak of." Sesshomaru cut her off and set his brush down, finally coming to stand in front of her. There was a slight flash of humour in his eyes at her slip-up. "He allowed you up here?"
"Well, you see, I kind of..." Rin wrung her hands nervously before blurting out, "told-him-I-was-your-girlfriend."
His eyebrow raised a fraction, "Hm. And why would you do that?"
"Because you've been avoiding me all week!" Her voice was starting to rise with irritation and she fought to stay calm. Stick to the plan, don't let him get to you, Rin reminded herself. Sesshomaru obviously knew that his cold, detached attitude ticked her off, so Rin was determined to keep her cool and prove that she was the one in control. Two can play the emotionless game, Sesshomaru...
"That's hardly a reason for you to lie about being my significant other." Sesshomaru responded, slipping past Rin and blocking her view of his unfinished canvas when he noticed her eyes wandering.
"Can I see?" She asked suddenly when he reached for an old sheet to cover the painting.
She heard him sigh and the muscles in her stomach suddenly went tight with unease. Sure, she hadn't known him long, but anyone could tell that Sesshomaru was not the type to get outwardly upset.
"Fine," he let the sheet drop to the floor and Rin came to stand at his side, studying the half-finished scene, "I don't like it." He said pointedly.
"It isn't your usual style," she conceded, "but it's beautiful." Rin looked up at him with sincerity in her eyes.
Though unfinished, the painting clearly depicted a young boy sitting in the centre of a room while blurred figures stood around him. His head was lowered, hiding his face while hands were clasped in his lap. Sunlight beamed through the large windows at his back, giving the whole canvas a bright, washed-out effect.
There was a hint of sadness to the scene that made Rin's throat constrict with emotion because she knew that Sesshomaru was painting his childhood. Why had he been so unhappy and isolated?
"You grew up too soon." She whispered.
Sesshomaru's head inclined in a slight nod to let Rin know she understood the meaning behind the art.
"I don't like it," he said again, "but...it needed to be painted." He looked at her, amber eyes holding an expression that seemed to say 'please understand because I don't know how else to explain it'.
She did not reply but reached out for him, tentatively taking his hand in her own much smaller one.
Sesshomaru gave no sign that he was pleased or upset with her actions, so they simply stood there in a deep silence.
Rin's mind was whirring, piecing together the puzzle of his past. She finally had an understanding of why Sesshomaru was the way that he was. Something early in his life had changed him; forced him to become an adult at a time when his only concern should have been Saturday morning cartoons.
"You should consider yourself lucky," she finally said with a bit of a waver in her voice, "they might have been in the background, but at least you had a family that was there for you." Rin gestured to the blurry silhouettes in the painting. I would give anything to have had that, she added silently.
"Luck? If anything it was misfortune." Sesshomaru pulled his hand away and proceeded to cover the canvas. "We obviously do not see eye to eye on the subject of family, so this conversation is over."
He brushed past her and left the room. Rin stood there for a few minutes longer, a delicate frown on her lips. Sesshomaru was certainly becoming more open with her – allowing her to see the unfinished picture was a huge step forward in her opinion – but Rin felt so unprepared for all of this. She came over with the simple intention of inviting him to dinner and the mood had just grown ten times heavier.
She gave a big heaving sigh and shook her head a little, clearing the emo out before trailing after Sesshomaru. She found him in the kitchen and moved to relax against the island, leaning her elbows on the countertop as he pulled a bottle of water from the refrigerator. He set it in front of her before reaching for one of his own.
The simple gesture returned the funny feeling to the pit of Rin's stomach but she pushed aside her worry and confusion over it. She had something more important to think about right now.
"Sesshomaru?" She said his name suddenly while keeping her eyes fixed on the bottle before her.
When he did not reply, she glanced up quickly just to be sure he heard her. He gave a slight nod so she continued.
"Keeping with our agreement, I think you should come to dinner at my friend's house tonight." Rin slowly raised her head to meet his gaze. She bit her lower lip and widened her eyes innocently, giving him her best doe-eyed look. It was a move she had practiced many timed in the mirror because, really, a good set of Bambi eyes could get a girl almost anything.
His smooth face slowly turned to a scowl, but Rin could tell it was only half-hearted. He looked more like a pouty toddler and the thought made her giggle.
"So that's a yes? Great! We eat at six, so I can pick you up around five I guess." She played with the cap on her water bottle.
"I drive." Sesshomaru countered, but otherwise accepted her offer. He leaned towards her and plucked the cap from her hands, "Stop fidgeting," he ordered.
"Why, does it bother you?" Rin teased, quickly reaching to steal it back.
Sesshomaru anticipated her move and raised his arm to hold the bottle cap out of her reach.
"You're not going to make me jump for it, are you?" With hands on her hips, she looked up at his tall frame with a grin tugging at her lips.
Yeah she was flirting, so what?
"No, I am merely trying to get you out of my kitchen."
"Alright, alright." Rin sighed and grabbed her purse from where it had been forgotten after her tumble onto the floor. She was surprised to find Sesshomaru following her towards the door.
"I'll walk you out." He said curtly when she gave him a questioning look.
"Water and a walk to the door, you really know how to impress a lady." Rin said teasingly as she pushed the door open and began the walk toward the elevator.
"I spare no expense." Sesshomaru said dryly. When they had reached their destination, he leaned in to press the call button for her, giving Rin a very nice whiff of whatever it was that made him smell so darn good. Expensive man perfume, or maybe just laundry detergent?
They stood in companionable silence until the door dinged open and the same unpleasant attendant greeted Rin with a frown. Upon seeing Sesshomaru though, his whole manner changed.
"Oh, wonderful to see you, Sesshomaru-sama!" He bowed deeply and Rin tried to hide her giggle over how absurdly formal he was being.
Sesshomaru's response was nothing more than a blink. He put a hand on the small of Rin's back, gently forcing her forward and into the elevator.
A rash (and slightly evil, if you had any concern for Sesshomaru) thought suddenly popped into her head. She had to do it. His reaction would be priceless. Besides, the toad man already thought they were a couple.
As naturally as possible, Rin turned and stepped into Sesshomaru's arms. Gripping a handful of his shirt in her fist, she forced him to bend until his face was at her level.
"Bye, Sesshy-sama. See you tonight." She hadn't planned on the nickname, it just kind of popped out. Ignoring the growing blush of her cheeks, Rin closed the distance between them and kissed him with a surprising amount of pent-up passion she never realized she had.